royal ascot is upon again.
iam sure there will some upsets,
not all the hot pots will oblige.
there is value in e way i think in twice over
8-1. Dr. faustus is vastly improving.
coastal path to topple yeats.
well there it is, simple as pie. i hope!
Ger Lyons is absolutely right about the over-watering of ground. What is wrong with a good to firm surface? Nothing. There is such a thing as fast-ground horses. The way tracks are going they may as well retire.
First a word about the derby ..... i could be wrong but my personal idea is that this year's derby wasnt one of great class ... lots of emotion around new approach, and clearly the best horse won the race ... and being a race follower for almost 30 years i would like to add that i'm not so excited about the epsom classics ... personally i rate the king george and THE ARC de triomphe much higher. Soldier of Fortune is a real topclass horse as is Duke of Marmelade ..they can both realise the things Dylan Thomas showed us the last two seasons ...Great class
Royal ascot: superb racemeeting for five days long ... the creme de la creme , excitement from start to finish ...undoubtedly the best Meeting in the whole year .... with lots of french challengers (and their top jockeys soumillon,pasquier,peslier,lemaire etc ..) My two favourite horses for Ascot are COASTAL PATH( gold cup) and ASTRONOMER ROYAL( golden jubilee).... they are both two rising stars and they won't be far away at the winning line next week
So , i wish everyone a good sporting week, with ek 2008 .... sadly without england and belgium ...and a tremendous Royal Ascot
Hans
How on Earth can you call the Derby a World class horse race when unlike the other top races of the World, foreign competitors do not compete in it? The Derby is now ranked some 13th in the World for prize money. Until we have superstars from America, Hong Kong and even Australia coming over for the race I am afraid the race will only be a shadow of it's glorious past!
Does anyone else think Kevin Manning rode a bad race on New Approach? I know he needed to settle the horse early, but he was fighting the jockey for the first half mile and could easily have used up more energy than he saved. If Kevin Manning had allowed him to lie up handier then he might not have had the traffic problems he did have in the straight. Having watched the race several times, I'm amazed at how lucky he was to get the run up the rail when horses usually lug in, not to mention getting some fortunate splits just before that. Still, the best horse won and Kevin Manning did get the job done.
surely this horse will go on and prove what a class horse he is.many were saying before the race that it was not a great derby, wide open,
its a mystery that the english derby was not his
prime target i backed him at 30-1 on exchanges
as i thought bolger would change his mind and run.
where does this win put henrythenavigator?
I think New Approach is a worthy winner of the derby and am thankful to Jim Bolger for providing me with an exciting, breathtaking derby (as I suspect a whole lot more people are!) As to the dissenters, you should be praising Jim Bolger and connections for enabling New Approach to participate and show what a fine example of breeding and training he is! As for his quirkiness, that is one of the things I like about him. He has character and reminds me of George Washington - and remember what a great horse he was! As for Henry the Navigator, he is a fine horse over a mile but I do not think any horse could have passed New Approach today.
Well what a performance from a class horse who was found out by firm ground and the mile trip in the Irish 2000 Guineas, I think Jim Bolger realised as soon as the rain hit Epsom he had to redirect New Approach to Epsom and what a brave decision...
Great race also by the Dante winner Tartan Bearer...
Now all eyes will be on Big Brown who has an easier race now with Casino Drive not running, will that quarter crack find him out though?
I reckon if Henrythenavigator turned up for the Derby on fast ground he would take all the beating. The stamina on his dam's side (by Sadler's Wells) suggests he might stay and his speed would be an asset at Epsom. Oh well, it's rained now and his old rival New Approach will probably win. Good old Jim!
Posted 14/06/2008 @ 17:04 View all frankhill's posts
royal ascot is upon again. iam sure there will some upsets, not all the hot pots will oblige. there is value in e way i think in twice over 8-1. Dr. faustus is vastly improving. coastal path to topple yeats. well there it is, simple as pie. i hope!